The fully functioning 18-carat toilet, an artwork valued at £4.75m, was removed in 2019 in an "audacious" five-minute raid by thieves who drove through locked gates and used sledgehammers to smash their way into the palace.

One of the men on trial over the theft of a £4.75m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace has admitted he used it the day before it was stolen, a court has been told.

The fully functioning 18-carat toilet, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, had been on display at the Oxfordshire country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born.

It was taken in an “audacious” five-minute raid in the early hours of 14 September 2019 by thieves who drove through locked gates and used sledgehammers to smash their way into the property.

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The day before the toilet was stolen, Jones and the same woman spent around 90 minutes at the palace on what was a Friday, the trial heard.

Asked by prosecutors why he had taken a half-day off work rather than waiting until the weekend, he admitted it was unusual for him, but “was interested to go and see it”.

Questioned if he “took advantage of” the gold toilet’s “facilities”, the defendant said yes, and described it as “splendid”.

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The toilet artwork, entitled America, weighed approximately 98kg, was insured for $6m (£4.75m) and was made from gold worth about £2.8m.

It is believed to have been broken up after it was stolen.